Changing Lives
by Ghostrider
Summary: Time. It's not a constant. Always moving. Always changing. Live takes you on different paths. Different lives take you on different paths. Are you strong enough to face the changes? Do you accept the challenge? Or succumb to the darkness?
1. Prologue

Title: Changing Lives  
  
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer story.  
By: Ghostrider  
  
Summary: Time. It's not a constant. Always moving. Always changing. Live takes you on different paths. Different lives take you on different paths. Are you strong enough to face the changes? Do you accept the challenge? Or succumb to the darkness?  
  
Rating: R  
  
Author's Note: This story starts during the events leading up to Mayor Wilkins' Ascension and move on from there. This story is not beta-read. All mistakes and grammatical errors are mine.   
  
Author's Note II: This is something that just popped into my head one day. I'm not sure where it's going or how it's going to end. Let me know if it's something worth finishing.  
  
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy, the WB and UPN own the characters.   
  
Prologue  
  
Xander was walking through the Sunnydale night, searching for Buffy, Angel and Faith. It wasn't the most intelligent thing to do in this town, but then again, staying with the rest of the group, researching, or rather, hanging around the fringes and be insulted, wasn't high on his To Do list either.  
  
'How the Hell did I get here', shot through his mind, as he kicked a small stone in front of him. 'Yes, I know, it's all my fault, as usual.'  
  
It had seemed so simple at the time. Alienate yourself from the others, make them so angry or disgusted with you, that they'd keep their distance from you. That way, you can keep them safe from the other side of your life.   
  
'That worked out well', he thought with a self-deprecating smirk.  
  
Things had gone haywire the second he'd put his plan in motion. Using Willow the way he had, it was something that he'd loathed to do, but it had been the only plan he'd been able to come up with to achieve his goals. But, as per usual with Xander's plans, it had backfired. Willow and Buffy had forgiven him, mostly, even though they still kept him at the fringes of the Slaying. Giles was Giles, siding with his Slayer while continuously giving him that look that spoke of his disappointment. The only one who'd done as he'd expected had been Cordelia. After finding out about the illicit affair and being nearly killed by that piece of steel, she'd stayed away from the Scoobies. That is, until one Wesley Wyndham-Pryce showed up. Now, Cordelia Chase was using every opportunity to rub Wesley's attraction to her in Xander's face. Even Faith seemed to want Xander around, although he suspected it had more to do with the similar backgrounds they shared, even though they'd never spoken about it.  
  
'Once this whole Ascension thing is over, I'm gonna steer clear of them. Provided they survive, Will and Buff are off to college, so it won't be so hard to do. Besides, it's about time I took that roadtrip.'  
  
Xander still wasn't sure what he would do, once he'd gone on the roadtrip. Would he come back to Sunnydale, or would he keep going and see something of the world? His life had taken an abrupt turn the moment he'd bumped into the railing as he had laid eyes on Buffy Summers for the first time. And a year later, his world had turned around on its axis once again.  
  
His senses picked up the sound of footfalls, causing the young man to look up. Xander noticed Faith and Angel coming his way. Picking up the pace as he neared them, Xander was about to tell them what the others were doing, when suddenly, his head seemed to explode in pain. The next thing he knew was that he was watching the stars, both the ones in the sky and the ones circling his head. Quickly raising himself from the street, Xander noticed several things.  
  
'Damn! That hurt! Deadboy hit me! NO! NOT Deadboy! Angelus! Angelus is back and he and Faith are working together! That's just great. And Buffy is nowhere around! Gotta get to the others and warn them.'  
  
That last thought galvanized him into action and Xander ran off into the night, anger and fear raging in his heart.  
  
*******  
  
"We've got major problems", Xander shouted as he stormed into the room where Willow, Oz, Cordelia and Wesley were gathered, researching the upcoming Ascension.  
  
"Excuse you, Mr. Fashion Sense, but what would you know about major problems?"  
"Well, for your information, Cordelia, I just had a run-in with Angel and Faith, or I should say, my face had a run-in with Angel's fist!"  
  
Watching the shocked looks of everyone present, Xander felt a second of satisfaction, knowing that they finally grasped that the problems they were facing had just gotten a lot bigger.  
  
"But... But how... I mean... he had his soul..."  
"The how is not important right now, Willow. The important thing is that Buffy wasn't with them. And we all know how much Angelus loves Buffy!"  
"We need to warn Giles."  
"Good idea, Will. You guys warn him, I'll check out Buffy's house and see if I can warn her in time, then meet you at the library. Wait for me there."  
"Who died and left you in charge, fashion reject? Wesley is the Watcher and that means he's in charge here", Cordelia interjected.  
  
"Twinkletoes there is in charge of Buffy and Faith, not the rest of us. And wasting time like that is a great way to see in how many ways Angel can kill Buffy. Now shut up, pack up, get your shapely ass moving, get Giles and go to the library."  
  
Wesley's face turned purple in indignation while he sputtered, trying to form a coherent thought as to what had happened just now and when he had lost control of the situation. The others looked on in shock as their goofy friend had turned into a drill sergeant, giving them their marching orders. Oz was the first to react, grabbing Willow and shocking Wesley and Cordelia into action.  
  
Xander jumped into his car, speeddialing the Summers residence on his cellphone. Joyce answered, telling him that Angel and Faith had picked up Buffy some 30 minutes earlier. With that information, he immediately headed off for Angel's mansion, flooring the accelerator, praying that the sadistic bastard would toy with her a while before trying to kill her.  
  
As he arrived, Xander quickly put on a three-quarter length jacket, the heavy black leather calming his senses. Quickly scouting the area, he let his senses fully atune to the world around him. Moving stealthily towards one of the windows, he looked inside. With a sigh of relief, he noticed that Buffy was still alive, chained to a wall, Faith pacing around her with a feral smile on her lips. With that, the last vestiges of Xander Harris, the Zeppo, the goofball and comic relief of the Scooby Gang, disappeared. It was time to fulfill a promise.   
  
  
".....Mayor's got it wired B. He made this town for demons to feed on, and come graduation day, he's getting paid", Faith told Buffy with glee. Before she could do or say anything else, the doors to the room burst open, revealing Xander Harris.   
  
Buffy watched in shock as Xander burst in, clearly not knowing that the whole thing was a setup to trick Faith into revealing what she knew about the Mayor's plans.  
  
"Xander, get out of here", Buffy screamed, fearing what Faith might do to her friend, before either her or Angel could stop Faith.   
  
"Not this time,Buff. Deadboy and I, we've got a previous engagement. Something along the lines of 'You're going to die and I'm going to be there.' Doesn't it Angelus?"  
"Yo boytoy, aren't you the forceful one all of a sudden. Guess that roll we had gave you some balls, huh? What say you and I get down for another round before I kill you? Think B. is gonna enjoy that? I know I sure would, on both counts", Faith said as she walked towards him, smiling all the while.   
  
"Faith, I suggest you get your ass out of here. I've got business with the Tall, Dark and Fangfaced over there. You walk now, you save yourself a world of hurt", Xander stated in a measured, ice-cold voice, sending shivers down Buffy's back.  
  
"Ooh, big tough guy, are we?"  
  
Faith leered at Xander, then, with Slayer quickness, she threw her knife at him, aiming for the head. Buffy screamed in horror as she and Angel watched the death of one of their own, played out in front of their eyes. But horror turned into amazement as Xander effortlessly caught the knife between his hands, mere inches from his face, wearing a bored expression.  
  
"Predictable and stupid. Now you've got no more weapons, girly. What you gonna do?"  
  
With a scream of rage, Faith launched herself at Xander, fists leading. At the last moment, her left leg surged upward, it's intended target, Xander's stomach, not being in the spot it was a split second before. Xander had stepped into the kick with a 360 degree turn, his left arm leading and hitting Faith hard in the side of the head. The force of the blow knocked her off balance but before she could fall to the floor, Xander's right hand had grabbed a hold of her jacket and Faith was sent flying into a wall. Dazed from the blow and the sudden impact with the wall, Faith attacked again, lashing out with a blindingly fast combination of her fists.   
  
Using the force of her own attack against her, Xander again flipped the rogue Slayer to the ground, the air leaving her lungs in a loud whoosh. Before she had another chance, Xander twisted his hips, lifting her clean off the floor to her feet, pulling down her jacket, effectively trapping her arms. Pushing her backwards a few steps, he began his counter-attack. Twisting in position and bringing his right leg up, Xander kicked her in the face, following it up with his left foot. Faith went down again, hard.  
  
Shrugging off her jacket, her face red in rage, Faith got up, breathing hard and attacked again. Feinting to the right, she quickly reversed and rammed her knuckles hard, into Xander's ribcage, smiling in satisfaction at the sound of breaking ribs. Following it up with a palmstrike to his face, she turned and smashed an elbow into the side of his head, sending the dark-haired teen to the floor. Her victory was shortlived as her feet were ripped from under her, crashing her to the ground. The next thing she saw was a fist heading for her face, then blinding pain, then darkness.  
  
Xander stood up straight, not even breathing hard as he looked down on the unconscious Slayer. Slowly raising his head, making eye-contact with a shocked Angel.  
  
"Let's dance."  
  
Xander stalked towards Angel menacingly as Buffy looked on in stunned amazement at what had transpired. Amazement turned to horror as Xander's hands reached behind him, pulling out two swords seemingly out of nowhere.  
  
"Xander! NO!"  
"Not this time, Buff. Last time, I didn't do anything to stop this bastard but not this time. Too many people died the last time before you got your head out of your ass."  
  
Xander somersaulted over the couch Angel had moved behind to keep his distance, slashing diagonally with the wakizashi, forcing his opponent to twist to the side. Too late, Angel saw the move for what it was, a feint, as a burning pain ran up his left arm. Stumbling backward, he bumped into the wall, watching as a stone-faced Xander Harris advanced on him. Xander's eyes were ice-cold, not showing any emotion, both swords pointed downwards.   
  
"Xander, it's not what you think. Please, just stop and let me explain...", Angel said, squeezing his injured arm. But he knew it was a lost cause; Xander Harris was here to kill him and nothing was going to stop him from doing so. Under normal circumstances, Angel would not have worried about that, but these were far from normal circumstances. Somewhere along the way, Xander seemed to have acquired impressive martial arts skills, both unarmed and armed. His taking down Faith was enough proof of that. Angel lashed out, his right foot kicking a small table into Xander's approaching form. Using the split second he had, Angel lunged sideways for his weapons chest, grabbing a light cavalry saber from it.   
  
The saber and Xander's longer Ninja-to met in a shower of sparks. Angel winced from the impact of the blades, only giving a fleeting thought about the strenght his opponent was displaying. It became quickly apparant that he was outclassed. Xander's swords seemed to be everywhere, the long sword keeping him busy while the wakizashi slashed at any exposed bodyparts. Angel was using every trick he knew to stay alive, to stay a step ahead. Using the saber as a javelin, he threw it at Xander. Xander quickly twisted around to let it pass, leaving himself open to Angel' attack. He was lifted off the floor as Angel smashed a foot into his stomach, following it up by an elbow to the back, making him crash to the floor hard. Angel smashed a heavy foot onto Xander's right hand, causing him to release the Ninja-to as he bit back a scream.   
  
Angel was about to do the same thing to Xander's left hand, when the dark-haired youth quickly rolled to the side, taking Angel' feet out from under him, causing the vampire to slam to the ground. Getting to his feet with cat-like movements, Xander quickly advanced on the prone vampire, stabbing him with through the chest with the wakizashi. Pulling it out, Xander grabbed the hilt in both hands, lifting it over his right shoulder.  
  
"I'm sending you to Hell. This time, stay there."  
  
As he brought the wakizashi down, Buffy screamed...  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"  
  
Xander felt something enter his back, immediately followed by a burning pain spreading throughout his body. The short sword fell from his limp hands as his body started swaying, blood dripping from his mouth. Turning around on swaying feet, Xander reached behind him, grasping the handle of Faith's discarded knife and pulling it out. The pain seemed to multiply as the pierced chambers of his heart kept pumping out the blood, straight into his body, instead of through the veins. Looking at the bloodied knife, Xander crashed to his knees, raising eyes full of accusation towards the blonde Slayer he'd always thought of as his best friend, one question on his mind and bloodsoaked lips.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Before getting the answer, Xander's upper body crashed to the floor, as he died, the question as to why she would choose a soulless killer over a human.  
  
"Xander?"   
  
Buffy's voice was tinged with tears as she walked over to her friend's body, lying in a growing pool of blood.  
  
"Xander? Wake up. Please? Wake up, Xander! It's no time to go sleeping!"  
  
Reaching his body, Buffy rolled him over, pulling him up against her as tears streaked down her face. She began rocking him as she stroked his hair.  
  
"Xan, please wake up. I need you. Come on, baby, wake up. Please?"  
"You killed him, you bitch! You think your whining is gonna make him pull a Jesus Christ?", Faith screamed in rage. A rage she didn't know where it was coming from. The sight of Xander's body broke something in the dark-haired Slayer's mind.  
  
"You killed him! You killed him and for what? That piece of shit Angel? I should have staked you the moment I had the chance, you bastard, soul or no soul!"  
  
After her outburst, Faith sprinted from the mansion into the night, her only thought getting out of this hellhole. Getting as far away as possible from the pain this town had brought her.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
Angel slowly got up and crawled to the woman he loved, pain etched in his eyes. Buffy was rocking the dead body of her best friend, begging him to wake up, not wanting to believe that he was dead. Not wanting to believe she'd killed him.   
  
"Buffy, you've got to let him go. We need to get to the others, tell them what happened."  
  
She looked up at him, her eyes large and red from crying.  
  
"No, I can't leave him here. He's going to wake up all alone. I can't leave him alone. He needs me."  
  
The look she gave him and her words broke his heart.  
  
"Buffy, Xander... he's dead. He is not going to wake up. We've got to go. Tell Giles and the others so they can take care of this."  
"No! I'm not leaving him here! He needs me."  
  
Buffy turned away from Angel, cradling Xander's body close, rocking him back and forth, softly chanting the same sentence over and over again.  
  
"Wake up. Wake up, Xander. Please?"  
  
*******  
  
The double doors of the library burst open, causing the occupants to jump off their chairs and grab for any nearby weapons. When they saw Angel coming in, carrying a catatonic Buffy, the air of dread that permeated the room rose several notches. Giles quickly pulled out a chair, allowing Angel to place her in it carefully. Gasps sounded through the room as they caught sight of the blood drenched clothes Buffy was wearing.  
  
"Willow, get the medical kit! Quickly!", Giles ordered.  
"No, that's not necessary. It's not hers."  
"Angel, Buffy's clothes are soaked and you say that it's not hers? Whose is it? Surely not Faith's?", Wesley asked with trepidation. Even though his charge was headstrong and had now become an agent of evil, he still felt responsible for her. This whole fiasco was his fault; if he'd only handled it better. Hindsight, such a wonderful gift, the young Watcher thought.   
  
"No, not Faith's either. She... She got away, nothing more then bruises."  
"Where is Xander? Did he find you?", Willow interjected worriedly as she knelt next to her friend, her hands hovering over Buffy's body. She didn't notice the pained looked on Angel's face. Willow wasn't sure how to approach her friend, whose eyes seemed to be staring off into the distance. She didn't seem to be aware of her surroundings.  
  
"Buffy? Can you hear me?", Giles asked his young charge, squeezing her shoulder.  
"Buffy? Could you.. could you snap out of it? You... You're scaring me."  
  
Buffy slowly turned her head towards Willow's voice, her eyes slowly focusing on the redhead's face. It seemed as if she was slowly coming out of her stupor.  
  
"Where is Xander?"  
  
The simple question shocked everyone, not so much the question but the voice asking it. Buffy Summers' voice sounded paper thin, like a toddler, asking a question of its parents. It was the same tone of voice as when Buffy had found out about the prophecy of her death by the Master's hands. Yet, even then, there had been a mixture of despair, anger and defiance laced through. Now, all of those fragments were gone, leaving only the voice of a frightened child.  
  
"Buffy...", Angel interjected, not daring to look at the blonde Slayer.  
  
"Angel?"  
"Yes, Buffy?"  
"He's dead, isn't he?"  
"No, please God, no!", Cordelia exclaimed. Willow's eyes grew large as she stumbled backwards, falling to the floor. Of everyone there, only Oz seemed take the news in stride.   
  
"H- How..."  
  
Giles tried to form the question but it came out as a pained gasp. Buffy turned her tearstained eyes towards the man she thought of as her father, preparing to speak the words that would seal the guilt she would carry for the rest of her life. Bonding it to her heart and sould for all eternity.  
  
"Xander... He.. He stormed into the mansion. He took ... he took out Faith, then went after Angel. He thought Angel had turned into Angelus and was going to kill him. He... He didn't listen to me. He didn't want to listen. He had swords. Two swords and I was still chained up. I was screaming for him to stop but he wouldn't listen. I finally got loose but I was too far away and Xander was about to ... to kill Angel. I had to make a choice... I had to make a choice."  
  
Buffy stopped explaining, taking deep breaths as sobs started to wreck her small frame.   
  
"A choice? You had to make a choice? What the Hell does that mean", screamed Cordelia, unable to believe that Xander was death. It couldn't be true. The little bottle-blond bitch was lying. Yes, that was it, she was lying.  
  
"Answer the damned question! What happened?"  
"I killed him! I took Faith's knife and threw it in his back and killed him! He's dead because I killed him!" Buffy screamed at Cordelia.  
  
What happened next caught everyone by surprise. Cordelia practically jumped on top of Buffy, her hands like steel clamps, wrapping themselves around Buffy's throat. Deep seated hatred shone from her eyes as she tried to choke the life out of Buffy. Giles, Angel and Oz jumped in, pulling the two girls apart, Cordelia howling in unrestrained rage, kicking and screaming to get free. Buffy got to her feet, not daring to look Cordelia or anybody else in the eyes. It was then that the next surprise represented itself....  
  
Buffy was flung across the room, crashing hard into the library's counter. As she looked up, she saw the darkened pupils of Willow Rosenburg, the power radiating off of her in waves.  
  
"You sanctimonious little bitch! You had to choose! Between an undead killer and a living, breathing man who would gladly lay down his life for you, without hesitation? You saved a killer's life or rather unlife because you think he's the love of your life? Have you forgotten what he is? A killer! A murdering, raping bastard who loves to torture people, make them suffer before they die! He killed thousands all over the world. He killed Jenny, he killed Theresa and Goddess knows how many more and you chose to save him and kill someone who has stood beside you from the start? And you call yourself his friend? I wonder what you would do to an enemy. Tell me why. Tell me! Come on, you little slut! Tell me!!!!"  
  
"Yes, Slayer, do tell. I've been wondering the same thing."  
  
Startled by the interruption, everybody turned to look at the voice coming from the library's entrance. It was quickly followed by a scream of terror. 


	2. Chapter 01

Title: Changing Lives  
  
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer story.  
By: Ghostrider  
  
Summary: Time. It's not a constant. Always moving. Always changing. Live takes you on different paths. Different lives take you on different paths. Are you strong enough to face the changes? Do you accept the challenge? Or succumb to the darkness?  
  
Rating: R  
  
Warning: Buffy Bashing, at least for the first parts of the story.  
  
Author's Note: This story starts during the events leading up to Mayor Wilkins' Ascension and move on from there. This story is not beta-read. All mistakes and grammatical errors are mine.   
  
Author's Note II: Thank you all for the overwhelming feedback. It's gotten the creative juices flowing again, especially regarding this story. Just as a sidenote, although the prologue resembles the story 'Secrets Revealed' by John T. Angeski, this is NOT a continuation of that story. Nor is it a rewrite. I did contact Mr. Angeski a few months back regarding him continuing that story, but never received an answer. The resemblance is due to the fact that I needed to use that part of the episode for my story. There are just so many ways you can write that scene and not having it come out looking like something someone else wrote, using the same scene from the show.   
  
I don't know whether Mr. Angeski still uses the email address I sent my email to, but those that have read the story at the VSVNP archive or remember it, please take the time to contact him and ask for a continuation. It promises to be a great story. Sadly, I have lost the address. If anyone would be so kind as to post it here?  
  
Author's Note III: This is NOT a crossover with Highlander. Others have done that much better then I ever could.  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy, the WB and UPN own the characters.   
  
Chapter 1  
  
The figure standing just in front of the swinging library doors looked to have taken a bath in a tub of blood. His clothes were drenched, trails of the dark red liquid running down his lips to his neck and chest. He looked like a victim from one of those slasher movies. Cordelia's terrified scream died in her throat as she got a good look at the man's face.....  
  
"Xan- Xander?"  
  
Cordelia couldn't wrap her mind around what was happening. One moment, Buffy was telling them how she had killed Xander to save Angel. The next she and Willow attacked Buffy and then suddenly, Xander was THERE!!!! This was a new kind of weird, even for the Hellmouth.  
  
Everybody was stunned, their minds had given up trying to process everything that had occured in the last hour. To hear of the death of one of their own, then subsequently see him in front of them, resurrected, had proven too much. With one exception....  
  
Angel jumped into action, rushing Xander, as he screamed to the others, "It's a vampire!" His warning jolted everybody awake; Giles grabbed for his crossbow, Wesley for the cross and holy water he always carried with him while Oz reached for the short gladius on the table in front of him. A loud crash halted them all in their tracks. Willow and Cordelia gasped, Oz raised one eyebrow while Wesley's jaw was working but no sound came out.  
  
"Dear God", Giles gasped.  
  
Angel's body had been smashed against the library's ceiling and was currently being held there, as if by an invisible hand. A hand that seemed to be slowly crushing his ribcage as the souled vampire tried futily to free himself.   
  
"Is that any way to greet an old friend, Angel? I mean, considering everything we've been through? Me getting your lazy ass out of your dank basement apartment when Buffy was facing the master. Our little tete a tete in the hospital when you were back to your old self. Earlier, when you tried to shove my jaw into my brain. If I'd known you didn't appreciate me, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble", Xander commented casually.   
  
Suddenly, whatever force was holding Angel in it's crushing grip disappeared, sending the souled vampire hurtling downwards, straight for the large wooden table in the room. The other occupants scrambled out of the way as his body crashed through the heavy wood, fragments flying in all directions. Angel groaned in pain as he tried to push himself upright, only to be lifted into the air again and be slammed into the walls and bookcases repeatedly, each impact louder then the one before. Finally, his battered and bruised body was hanging in midair in front of the counter, then was dropped to the tiled floor with a thud, the sound of broken bones rasping against each other as he tried to move loud in the death silence of the room.   
  
Xander calmly walked into the weapons locker and grabbed one of the plastic jugs containing holy water. Walking out, he removed the cap and drank deeply, in full view of the others.   
  
"Interesting."  
  
Xander stopped drinking and turned to Oz, smirking.  
  
"I guess I've succeeded. That's the most you've ever said about the stuff that goes on around here."  
  
His only response was a small shoulder shrug. Giles however, finally seemed to have found his voice.  
  
"Xander?"  
"Yes?"  
"What just happened?"  
"Just defending myself."  
"But... I mean... How..."  
  
Stumbling over his words, the former Watcher violently ripped his glasses off and strode towards the young man, casually drinking from the jug of holy water. It proved to everybody present that Xander wasn't a vampire. But he was something else. Something far more dangerous. One didn't just stand up from the death and that he was death had been confirmed by Buffy and Angel. And one look at Xander would confirm that situation. One didn't loose that much blood and walk away.   
  
"Xander", Giles growled, his Ripper persona coming to the fore as he approached Xander. Before he'd taken two steps, however, Giles was violently thrown into a chair, which subsequently slammed into the counter. He would have flopped to the floor, had it not been for some unseen force that held him in place.  
  
"I'll get back to you in a minute, Rupert. There is still that little matter regarding not telling me about that little sting you'd set up. You know, the one that nearly broke my jaw and got me a skewered by a knife."  
  
The coldness in the dark-haired teenager's eyes and voice sent a shiver of fear through the librarian. Fear he hadn't felt since the day he'd read the prophecy about Buffy's death.  
  
"Speaking of which, I believe you still haven't answered the question, Buffy", Xander continued, turning towards Buffy.   
  
"Wha-"  
  
Buffy's eyes were so large, it seemed like they would pop out of their sockets any second now. She was sitting on the floor, her back against the lower step of the stairs to the first flight of the library.   
  
"Come on, don't act like you're a stereotypical blonde. I'm pretty sure that stuff comes from a bottle, Buff. It's quite simple, really. Willow asked you a question. She would like an answer. So would I in fact. Hell, I'm pretty sure everybody in this room would like an answer, with the exception of deadboy over there.", he stated, jerking his head towards the battered form of Angel. The vampire's eyes shone with fear as he regarded his ertswhile competition.  
  
"What hap- happened to you, Xander? You... you were dead! I know you were! Your heart stopped beating! You had no pulse! You were dead!"  
"We've established that I was dead. I got better. Now let's move on. Why did you shove a knife in my back, Buffy? And please, the truth?"  
  
Buffy Summers, Hemery High's most popular girl, head cheerleader and current Slayer, didn't know what was going on around her. Her mind was running around in a hundred different directions, all opposite of each other. The only thing she was certain of was the moment where everything had gone wrong. The moment where her entire world had collapsed in on itself like a house of cards in an earthquake. She had killed her best male friend, someone who was more important to her then her own life. She had taken a knife and thrown in, piercing his back, his heart, killing him. And yet, here he was, alive!   
  
Alive!   
  
It wasn't possible. Not unless a powerful master vampire had resurrected him. And he wasn't a vampire. He'd proved it, drinking the holy water.  
  
"I... I'm sorry. I'm so... so so sorry, Xander. I didn't mean to... I.."  
"Nononono, Buffy. I'm not interested in whether you're sorry or not. I want to know why you killed me. I think that you at least owe me that."  
  
Buffy's hands flew to her head, as if to squeeze the memories out by sheer force of will. Every second of those last few seconds in Angel's mansion played out before her closed eyes. Every sound, every smell, it was all there, contained in the space between her closed eyelids. She could see the fight from every angle. She could hear her desperate cries for them to stop. For him to listen to her. Her struggle to get the chains off. She could see how it seemed that Angel had finally managed to take down her friend, feel the sigh of relief when she realized that she wouldn't lose one of three of the most important men in her life. Then the horror when suddenly, the tide of battle again had turned and the love of her life was about to kill... no... not kill... be killed... wasn't it? Finally freeing herself from the chains, seeing that she was too far away to stop what was happening.... Desperately trying to come up with a way to stop the fighting.... coming up on Faith's discarded knife... Taking it... Throwing it... Watching its flight as if in slow motion... Watching it pierce the back of her lo- her friend... seeing him turn towards her, his eyes filled with astonishment, pain and betrayal... The question on his lips....  
  
Why?  
  
Why?  
  
WHY????????  
  
And Buffy screamed. A heart-rending scream of a pain so deep it shook all around her. All but one.  
  
"I guess that answers that."  
  
Then, there was darkness....  
  
*******  
  
Cursing the marching band that seemed intent on pounding a crater-sized hole in her skull, Buffy groaned as she fought her way back from a fitful sleep. The nightmare she'd just had... the chills wouldn't stop.  
  
'Gotta get some Advil. Then I'm going to call Xander', Buffy thought as she tried to open her eyes. The light sent another spike of pounding pain through her brain, eliciting another groan. Gingerly pushing herself up, Buffy kept her eyes closed to tiny slits, filtering the light to minimize the pain.   
  
"God, if this is what a hangover feels like, consider me off the booze for eternity."  
  
Finally sitting up straight, she slowly opened her eyes a little more, surveying her surroundings. The surprise at her surroundings caused the Slayer to open her eyes wide, sending another wave of pain through her tired brain.   
  
'What am I doing in the library?'  
  
Getting up slowly, an icecold pit in the bottom of her stomach, Buffy looked around the room. It was Giles' office she was in; she'd been lying on the old leather couch he kept there, covered with a warm blanket. Heart pounding in her throat, she shuffled to the closed door, a trembling hand reaching out to open it. Her eyes moved from side to side of the main room, taking in everything. The destroyed table's remains being cleared. The subdued faces of everyone, the air of despair that clung to her friends... Buffy's eyes widened impossibly as she suddenly realized...   
  
"No, please God, no..."  
"Buffy!"  
  
Before she could drop back to the floor, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her. Looking up, Buffy looked straight into the concerned eyes of her Watcher. Clinging to him like he was a life-preserver, Buffy sobbed into his chest as she realized her nightmare hadn't been a nightmare. Instead, it had been cold, stark reality.  
  
"What have I done?"  
  
*******  
  
Buffy was sitting on the leather couch again, sipping a cup of hot tea as Giles, Wesley, Cordelia, Willow and Oz stood around her. Angel was sitting in Giles' deskchair, not yet recovered from his injuries. Buffy's eyes were glued to the steam rising from the mug, not daring to look her friends in the eyes. Not wanting to see the loathing, anger and disgust in their eyes. She felt all those things herself, more then they could ever imagine.  
  
"Buffy, I'm glad to see that you're alright. Angel has already explained what happened tonight at the mansion", Giles began. I must say that events didn't go quite as planned."  
"Didn't go quite as planned? What planet are you from, Giles?", Cordelia said, using the most scathing tone she could muster.  
  
"Little Miss Fluffy here killed Xander and all you can say is things didn't go quite as planned? Geez, no wonder you guys are so stuffy."  
"Cordelia, please. I know you're upset. We all are. The fact remains, what transpired tonight should not have happened."  
"And whose fault it that, hey Giles? You knew Xander's feelings towards Angel. He's never trusted him, certainly not after him turning back into Angelus! And then you try this? How do you think he was going to react when he found out? Just let it lie? Xander-leap-into-a-fight-without-knowing-what-I'm-doing-Harris?", Willow broke in.  
  
"Yes, Willow, I too am to blame for everything that's happened tonight. But we must not forget one thing. Although Buffy killed Xander, for no good reason that I can see", Giles said, casting a side-long glance of disappointment at his ward, "he is now alive again and apparantly, has gained some new abilities."  
"He had them before tonight", Angel's voice rasped.  
  
"Explain", Giles said, crossing his arms as he sent an angry look at the souled vampire.  
  
"When he charged in, he took out Faith like she was nothing. I KNOW she broke several of his ribs. I could hear them breaking. Yet it didn't slow him down, nor did he show any indication of knowing that they were broken. He was all business. And when he attacked me.... I can honestly say that the only other person who had that kind of power, was the Master."  
  
Silence reigned for several minutes as this piece of information sunk in. Finally, Giles coughed slightly, breaking the spell.   
  
"I think it's time we all went home. Buffy, I'll drive you. We'll reconvene tomorrow after school."   
  
Slowly, one by one, the Scoobies and Wesley filed out of Giles' office. Angel kept his gaze locked on the girl he loved with all his heart and soul, wishing he could go back and change things for the better. She looked broken, beaten down. The pain radiating off of her was like a physical thing. He was pulled from his musing by a shadow in front of him.  
  
"I suggest you rest here until your injuries are healed. I expect you to be here in the morning when I come back."  
  
Giles tone left no room for argument, causing Angel to silently nod. He watched as Giles slowly walked Buffy out of the office, listening to the fading footsteps as they walked outside to the parkinglot.   
  
*******  
  
The atmosphere in the room cut be cut with a knife, so thick was the doom and gloom permeating the air. Willow and Cordelia had been in a stupor the whole day, their minds not on anything but the happenings of the night before. Cordelia's sheep had even remarked that their exalted leader seemed to be preoccupied with something. True to form, they'd assumed it was something to do with the upcoming Prom and Cordelia trying to decide who she was going to bestow upon the honor of taking her. If they could only read her mind...  
  
"Has anyone seen Xander today", Willow asked timidly.  
"No, he wasn't in any of the classes we share.", Cordelia answered morosely. "Didn't you walk over to his house this morning, Will?"  
"Mrs. Harris didn't know if he came home last night. Not that she'd notice", came Willow's subdued reply, a tinge of anger coloring the words.  
  
"In other words, we don't know if young Mr. Harris is alive or if last night had been some ploy by the Mayor to sow discord in the ranks, as it were," Wesley interjected, placing a hand on Cordelia's shoulder, which she promptly shook off. Throwing him an angry glare, Cordelia turned back to the others spread around the room.  
  
"He's alive, you moron. I don't know how, but that was him last night."  
"Cordelia, I want to believe that he's alive. More then anyone I want to believe. He's been my best friend since kindergarten! But you don't just get up from having your heart impaled on a knife", Willow stated, throwing angry looks at her former best female friend. "And what he did here last night? That isn't Xander! He doesn't have the skills we saw last night. IF he really had had those, he would have used them a long time ago. Xander's always jumping into fights and gets knocked unconscious, or we have to rescue him. If he had had any powers....", Willow trailed off.  
  
"What about how he just disappeared in front of us?"  
  
Everybody looked up at Oz as he brought up another question that had been plaguing their minds.  
  
"Yeah, he just ... blurred?", Willow said uncertainly, "blurred in front of our eyes, like a... a mirage!"  
"It could be that what we saw was Xander's spirit", Giles interjected as he cleaned his glasses, his mind trying to come up with possible explanations. Seeing the weird looks he was getting from the teenagers in the room, he sighed as he put his glasses back on.  
  
"As you American children keep saying, this is the Hellmouth. Wiggin' things happen here."  
"No, Giles, it's 'that gives me the wiggins'. Get with the program and speak English already!", Cordelia said, her Queen C demeanor firmly in place.   
  
"What if it wasn't Xander?"  
  
Everybody looked towards the source of the soft, timid voice that floated into the room. Buffy slowly walked into the library, looking like dead warmed over. Her hair hung lifeless in a ponytail, her eyes were puffy and red from crying. Even her outfit screamed despair. Sweatpants and a sweater.  
  
"Buffy."  
  
Buffy just continued walking, ignoring Giles until she reached the steps and sat down, wrapping her arms around her as if to ward of the cold.  
  
"The person I saw last night... The person who took out Faith and then went after Angel... couldn't have been Xander. Willow is right, Xander doesn't have those kind of powers. He's the normal one of us, the one we always protect, always try to keep out of harm's way. That... Thing", she spat the word out, "That thing used his face! It used his face, his body and his voice! It has to be some trick that Wilkins pulled. Some way to get us to turn on each other."  
"Are you saying that Xander... our Xander has not been with us for some time now, Miss Summers?"  
  
Shaking her head at Wesley's stating of the obvious, Buffy got up and started pacing the floor where the large table used to be. The one whoever or whatever that was that wore her friend's face had slammed Angel through.  
  
"I don't know if Xander is death. I do know that it couldn't have been Xander last night. He may have looked like him, he may have talked and walked like him, but it wasn't him. I don't know how long this has been going on, how long this freak has been inside our group, but I promise you this. Whether alive or dead, I'll find Xander. And whoever it is that's behind this, is going to wish they were never born."  
  
Wesley wisely chose not to bring up the little matter of the upcoming Ascension. He may not have been a Field Watcher for long, but even he had a pretty healthy sense of survival. Willow and Cordelia looked at each other, renewed hope in their eyes. Both girls stood up and slowly made their way over to the Slayer. Hesitation ran through all three of the teenaged girls, but moments later, all three surged forward into a tight hug. They held onto each other for dear life, silently vowing to help each other find the young man that had changed all their lives for better or worse.  
  
"Will you look at that. Nearly brings a tear to me eyes."  
  
As one, everybody turned towards the sound of the voice. There, sitting on the upper railing of the stairs, sat a short man, dressed in a gaudy Hawaiian shirt, not even Xander would wear. A leather pimp jacket and small hat completed the ensemble.  
  
"Whistler."  
"Heya, Ange, howzit hanging? Not too good, I see. But then again, with what happened..."  
"Who are you?", Giles asked as he reached for the hand-crossbow hidden beneath the counter.  
  
"That's Whistler, the Balance Demon I told you about. He works for the Powers That Be."  
"Yup, that's me. I'm the guy that gets things done that need doing."  
"What do you want, Whistler?", Buffy asked as she menacingly advanced on the short, gaudily dressed demon. "I don't have time for this, a friend of mine is in danger."  
  
Whistler chuckled and suddenly disappeared right in front of Buffy, reappearing in the middle of the floor of the library.  
  
"I think ya got that wrong, Slayer. Yer friend ain't in danger. You saw to that last night, when you threw that knife into his back."  
  
Buffy jumped down the stairs, pouncing on the Balance Demon, hitting him hard, sending him to the floor.  
  
"That thing last night wasn't Xander!", she hissed. "Don't you dare defile his name or so help me, I'll rip you apart."  
"Easy there, kiddo. I'm not joking. Ya killed him", Whistler groaned as he tried to crawl away from the angry Slayer standing over him. Giles and Angel came to his rescue, the former pulling Buffy backwards, while Angel helped up his friend.  
  
"I... I... don't understand", Willow mumbled.  
"That makes two of us", added Cordelia. "I mean... I... I don't know what I mean! This is so frustrating! And so like Xander!!!!! God! I hate him!"  
  
"Whistler, if you know something, tell us now. I don't know how long Buffy is going to stay calm."  
"Ya call that calm? Geez, I've seen active volcanoes that are less temperamental that her."  
"Whistler...", Buffy spoke through gritted teeth. If looks could kill, the short demon would have been burned to a cinder.  
  
"Fine! You remember when ya came back from LA, after killing the Master, Slayer?"  
  
At Buffy's nod, Whistler continued.  
  
"Remember how you found Xander here after the Master's flunkies kidnapped everyone else but him?"  
  
Again Buffy nodded.  
  
"Well, they didn't knock him unconscious, sweetheart. They killed him. Broke his neck. Snapped it like a twig."  
  
Gasps of shock. Looks of disbelief.  
  
"No! That's not true! He was alive when I came in!", Buffy whispered, her heart again feeling like it had been encased in ice. Yet, somehow, she knew that it was true. It was true but it couldn't, could it?  
  
"You better believe it, girlie! Your buddy died that night. Lucky for him, AND YOU, his kind ain't so easy ta kill."  
"His kind?", Cordelia asked in a tremulous voice.  
  
"Our kind", a new voice interjected and as one, everybody in the library turned towards it. There, standing in the dooropening of Giles' office, dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono, stood an old Asian man. His face full of wrinkles, his hair a lustrous dark that seemed to absord the light, his eyes hinting at a power better not challenged.  
  
"What is this? Grand Central Station? Everybody keeps popping up here! Who are you?"  
"My name is Nishihiro Nishikawa, Miss Chase." 


	3. Chapter 02

"My name is Nishihiro Nishikawa, Miss Chase."  
  
The Scooby Gang stared at the newcomer, not sure what to make of him. The air around him seemed to crackle with power. Buffy ripped herself violently away from Angel and stalked determinedly towards their new visitor.   
  
"I don't know what you've done with Xander, or where you're keeping him, mister, but you better start talking fast or I'm.."  
"Or you'll what, child? Hurt me?", he interjected. "You seem to be quite good at hurting those that care about you, do you not?"  
  
Buffy growled in anger, her right hand flashing out, intent on grabbing the intruder's throat. In her mind, she could clearly see what she was going to do. Grab this strange guy, slam him around a bit to let him know what a pissed off Slayer is capable of doing, then question him and go and get Xander from whatever prison he was in. Suddenly however, Buffy's hand seemed to be flying away from her intended target while her forward momentum was stopped as if by an invisible wall. Next, the air was knocked from her lungs in a loud whoosh, her whole back burning with pain. Before Buffy could determine what exactly had happened, her whole front smashed into something solid, nearly knocking her unconscious.   
  
From the vantage point of the others in the library, the sequence of events before them was nothing short of frightening. The old man seemed to effortlessly bat away Buffy's outstretched arm as simultanuously, his right hand touched her sternum lightly with devastating effect. Buffy's upper body seemed to stop in mid-air as her legs continued forward, causing them to loose grip with the ground. As Buffy's body rose to an almost horizontal position, Nishigawa continued his thrust, driving her into the stone floor of the library, hard enough to crack several of the tiles underneath her. Yanking upwards, he released her, the momentum carrying Buffy forward towards the doorframe as his left hand slammed into her shoulderblades increasing the force of impact. Each action was done with a minimum of movement and to the trained eye with the minimum of power, yet the effect was devastating.  
  
Buffy's nervous system was on overload as pain receptors fired, screaming in protest of the abuse heaped on them. Higher brain functions were overloaded to the point of shutting down and only the driving need to know what happened to Xander was keeping the Slayer on her feet. Then, before much needed air could be inhaled, the world tilted yet again as Buffy was unceremoniously yanked backwards, twisted into a spin and pushed away. Before her mind could comprehend what had happened, Buffy slammed into something soft and pliable and fell back to the floor on top of whatever broke her momentum, her mind fighting to stave off the beckoning of unconsciousness.  
  
Meanwhile, seeing Buffy being manhandled like a rag-doll, prodded the others into action. Angel charged forward, his broadsword arcing downward, aimed at Nishikawa's upper leg. Before his swing had even passed the halfway mark, however, Angel's sword was ripped violently from his hand and went flying back into the weapons locker. As if on cue, the stakes, swords and axe held by the Scoobies disappeared from their hands, reappearing in the weapons locker which then shut and locked itself, the key disappearing in a shimmer. Shocked gasps from Willow and Cordelia punctuated the silence that followed; Oz just raised another eyebrow while Angel nervously swallowed.  
  
"It is unwise for one as inexperienced as yourself to wield such deadly weapons."  
  
The Scooby Gang and Angel unconsciously took several steps backwards. Whoever this old Oriental was, he was a major force, one they wouldn't be able to defeat without proper preparation.  
  
After several halfhearted tries, Buffy was finally able to push up from the floor, leaning on her arms and looked behind her, noticing...  
  
"Giles? What happened?"  
"A little lesson in patience and humility, Slayer."  
  
Buffy turned towards the voice, her eyes growing wide as she saw their visitor floating in the air, kneeling in a Lotus position. The other Scoobies all had fallen back, forming a semi-circle around Nishikawa, as he floated there, a serene look on his wrinkled face. Buffy pulled herself to her feet, dragging Giles with her. Scowling, she was about to step back into the fray, but thought better of it, turned around and placed Giles' glasses on correctly. Having made sure her Ex-Watcher's glasses were sitting on his nose correctly, she then turned back to the scene in front of her, ready to violently get the answers she was seeking.  
  
"You are quite a handful, Slayer. No wonder the Council isn't too keen on you."  
"I'm not too happy with them myself but let's get back to what just happened here. I was about to get some answers from you."  
"No, you were about to go postal, is the term, I believe?"  
  
Nishikawa tutted as he wagged a finger from side to side.  
  
"Often, one gets more done with a drop of honey, then with a bottle of vinegar, child."  
"Great! More Chinese fortune cookie talk! Give me a good reason why I'm not kicking your ass right now!"  
  
Pretending to think of a reason, the old man rested his head on one hand while the index-finger of his other was softly tapping his lips.  
  
"How about that I'll be showing you every corner of this lovely school? As in slamming you INTO every corner of this school. Slowly. Repeatedly."  
  
It was brought in the same kind of voice one would use when ordering breakfast. Soft, disinterested and with a bit of sleepiness added for effect.  
  
Buffy gulped, audibly, taking the implication at face-value. Old he may be, but he definitely knew how to fight, as her sore body and numb nerves could attest to.  
  
"Now, let's all take a few deep breaths and continue our conversation, like civilized beings. Truly, you can be such barbarians at times."  
  
Slayers aren't know for patience. Buffy probably more so then any other Slayer in history. All this inane chatter from this seemingly old man was beginning to grate on her nerves. She wanted answers and she was going to get them, if she had to beat it out of him. The Slayer stepped forward. Or rather, tried to lift her right foot and step forward. It didn't lift. When she tried to look down at what was holding her there, she couldn't move her head.   
  
"Uhm, guys! I can't move!"  
"Yes, Buffy, we all seem to be stuck", Giles added, his quiet tone belying the deep fear he felt.  
  
Hearing the affirmative murmurs from the others that they were stuck as well, frightened Buffy Summers more she'd ever been frightened before. Never, not when she'd been prophecied to die by the Master's hand, not even when Angel had turned into Angelus, not even the thought that Xander was somewhere being tortured by the man in front of them, never had she felt such a chilling fear as she did now. At least during those moments, she knew she still had a chance. She knew that she wouldn't go down without a fight. Now however, she was as stuck as a bird in an oilslick and just as vulnerable.  
  
"Jeeze Louise, Nishi! That's one neat trick! It's like that old Wax museum in Prague, all those life-sized statues that look so real.", Whistler said as he walked around the still forms of the Scoobies. "Of course, the guy who ran it was just throwing real people into those vats with wax and putting them up. Sick bastard, that one was."  
  
"Indeed. When you're finished scaring our audience, Whistler, may I be permitted to try and explain to them what events have transpired?"  
"Hey, by all means, be my guest. Just remember to use small, preferably single syllable words so they can understand. Not too bright, you know? I think it's got to do with the whole teenager thing, ya know? Short attention span and all that."  
  
"HEY!", Willow loudly objected, angrily glaring at the Balance Demon.  
  
"Sorry, Red. You say somethin'?"  
  
"Whistler", the deceptively calm voice of Nishikawa rang out, like silk-covered steel.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, alright! Don't get yer kimono all twisted ina knot, man. I'll just be invisible here."  
"Thank you, Whistler. That would be most appreciated", the floating man said, as he slowly looked at each individual in the library.  
  
"As Mr. Whistler stated earlier, Alexander's kind, our kind, does not stay dead very well. And before any of you start ranting, allow me to explain. If after that you have questions, I will answer them. Is that acceptable?"  
  
Buffy wanted to say something, wanted to say that whatever lies he was going to feed them, she wouldn't believe them. She wanted to tell him that she'd beat the truth out of him, the moment her invisible bonds had disappeared but she couldn't. Somehow, even her vocal cords seemed to have been restrained.  
  
"Uhm, Nishi, I think ya might wanta let the Slayer have 'er voice back? Just a thought."  
"Of course, how silly of me. Old age and all that, you understand? They say the mind is the first to go."  
  
Suddenly, Buffy could feel the restraints on her vocal cords vanish, leaving her throat dry. Using them only caused some unintelligeble grunts and groans to come out and it took several swallows before she was confident enough to use her voice again.  
  
Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, the blonde Slayer turned her eyes forward, looking daggers at their adversary. Buffy's patience, a trait that was limited at the best of times, had completely worn thin due to the events of the last 24 hours and it came out in her voice, the only part of her body that was able to respond to her own will.  
  
"Enough! Who are you? Or better yet, WHAT are you? What do you know about what happened to Xander?"  
  
"As I said before, I am Nishihiro Nishikawa. As for what I am, I am no different from any other human", he stated calmly, looking Buffy straight into the eyes.  
  
"Oh, of course! You're human! Why didn't we think of that? Oh wait! Because humans can't return from the death and kick a vampire's ass around the room without even lifting a finger to do it", Cordelia said with scathing sarcasm, managing to suppress the quiver of fear in her voice. Buffy on the other hand, had a sinking feeling that the old Oriental man had spoken to her directly.   
  
"Yes, Miss Chase, humans are capable of many amazing feats. Have you ever seen the Warrior Monks of Shao-Lin as they bend steel rods and spears with their throats? Certain humans, given the proper interplay of circumstances and training can achieve amazing feats. Especially, those that are awakened."  
  
"Awakened?", Giles asked, the term sparking a sudden long-forgotten memory.  
"Indeed. And all thanks to you, Miss Summers."  
"Me? What did I do?", Buffy asked in indignation.  
"You allowed your selfishness to override your higher duty which caused the abduction of your friends and the deaths of young mister Harris. Because of that, we had to step in sooner than we would have wanted."  
  
The tone in which the statement was delivered was cold as ice and cut through the Slayer's heart and soul like a knife. Feeling the lump in her stomach becoming bigger, Buffy lashed out.  
  
"Look, I know the way I was acting was wrong, but give me a break! I had died! I came back to my senses! And no way was Xander dead, alright! When I came back he was alive!"  
"I'm afraid he WAS dead, Slayer. He died before it was his time. He died without having the mental and physical preparation for his awakening. Because of that, we had to intervene."  
  
Willow paled even further at Nishikawa's words, her eyes growing large.  
  
"A- Awa... Awakening? You... you resurrected him?"   
"No, my dear, we didn't.", Nishikawa said in a fatherly tone as he turned towards the young redhead.  
"He awakened. His lifeforce... His soul... His primal essence is what resurrected him, but without the neccesary discipline, without being prepared for the consequences. As it was, we reached him in the nick of time. An unsupervised death and subsequent awakening could spell disaster."  
  
The Scoobies looked up at that...  
  
"Unsupervised death? You were planning on killing him?", Willow screamed, trying to jump forward, ready to tear into the old man. Luckily, she was still rooted into place by whatever spell had been cast.  
  
"Will. Relax. Let the man explain.", the young guitarist said softly as he tried to turn his head enough to look at his girlfriend. When he was certain that she had gotten her anger under control, he shifted his gaze to Nishikawa.  
  
"So. Explain."  
  
"Why thank you, young man. Not many young people today are so concerned with niceties towards senior citizens. Now, as I was saying, Alexander was not supposed to die that day. His death was to happen on his twentyfirst birthday, as was his awakening. As luck would have it, I was here to observe him until the fourth full moon of the Winter's Solstice. Then I was to contact Alexander and begin his training in order to prepare him for the Awakening Ceremony. Had I not been here to step in immediately, the consequences could have been dire."  
  
"What consequences?", Wesley interjected.  
"The consequences of a Nephandi turning."  
  
"Dear God, no", came the quiet exclamation from where Giles was standing.  
  
"Giles?"  
  
Buffy looked confused at her ex-Watcher, as his features seemed to change from quiet determination to abject fear. Suddenly, his body sagged, seemingly collapsing in on itself. The former Watcher staggered backwards, hitting the nearest wall, sliding down in a heap. It was as if a dam had broke as everyone else suddenly got the use of their body back.  
  
"Giles?", Buffy repeated again as she kneeled next to him, placing a small hand on his shoulder, the lump in her stomach now feeling more like a boulder. Whatever it was that the term meant, it was more then enough to cause Giles to lose it, something she'd never seen him do before. It was probably one of the most frightening experiences she'd ever witnessed, next to Angelus' return and Xander's death and sudden resurrection.  
  
"The Nephandi. The Darkness....", he murmured as his hands held his head, the tone of his voice sending shivers of fear through everybody.  
  
"Who or what are these Nephandi?", Oz asked.  
"They are the Darkness, the Destroyer. The harbingers of the ultimate Evil."  
"Ultimate... evil?", Cordelia said, swallowing.  
"I ... I... don't understand... what would they want with Xander?", Willow asked as she looked at the mysterious visitor.  
  
"To have him join their side, of course. Rupert?"  
  
Nishikawa looked intently at the ex-Watcher, who finally met the man's gaze. The distress on the Englishman's face was clear for all to see.  
  
"There were.... a few myths I heard when I was younger. About the Nephandi.... and those that stand between them and total destruction... Dear God in Heaven!"  
  
Giles buried his face in his hands again, willing the events of the last 24 hours to be nothing more then a bad dream. With a deep sigh, their visitor picked up the explanation.  
  
"As I've said, the Nephandi are the harbingers of the ultimate Evil. Older then the First One, their menace only surpassed by that of the Devil himself. He who is the Ultimate of Evil. Their one goal in this dimension and every other is to destroy the light. To destroy the Metaverse and everything surrounding it."  
  
"Metaverse? Isn't that something from that B5 show? Or was it Star Trek?", Cordelia said, looking a bit lost.  
  
"You're not far off, Miss Chase. The writers did occassionaly provide glimpses of it. Think of reality as a tranquil pond. Smooth surface, nothing disturbing it. Then, throw in a stone. What happens? Ripples form, moving outwards. These ripples represent every single decision someone makes. Each decision has its consequences. Another stone in the pond, as it were. However, just as each decision has a particular outcome, so does every problem have multiple ways of being resolved. Different decisions for the same problem, leading to different outcomes."  
  
"Forks in the road. One reality, one decision made, changes that reality and turns it away from the original reality, becoming its own reality. Every decision for resolving a particular problem will create another reality in which that particular decision was chosen", Oz stated, his voice calm.  
  
"Essentialy correct, Mr. Osbourne. This reality we are in now, the main reality, is but one of an infinite number of realities, co-existing next to each other. All suspended within the Metaverse. All surrounded by the Darkness. The Darkness is the natural state of the Metaverse, meaning that reality as you know it, is nothing more then an unstable imperfection that must be destroyed for the Metaverse to be perfect once again. Would the Darkness succeed, it would mean the end of all reality, total Oblivion. That is the reason for existence of the Nephandi. To bring about the perfection of the Metaverse. To bring forth Oblivion."  
  
"So, these Nephandi characters are trying to bring forth the Apocalypse, right? Well, been there, done that, got the bruises to show for it", Cordelia said with an imperiousness she didn't quite feel right then.   
  
"So you have indeed, although you've only faced some minor Nephandi minions."  
"Minor! You call the Master Minor? Acathla? You call Mayor Wilkins minor?", Buffy shouted. "He's planning on ascending to First Circle Demon status and you call that minor? Please!"  
  
"Slayer, neither First Circle Demons nor the Acathla's of this world are comparable to the evil what is out there, just waiting to destroy us all. It is a waste of our time and resources to fight such minor beings. It is also the reason why we created the Slayer." 


End file.
